Blood Services
The most visible division of Biomedical Services, Blood Services is touching more lives than ever before. We've provided the nation with the safest possible blood products for generations. And today, we continue setting new standards for safety and quality

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Plasma Services
A leader in the plasma industry, the Red Cross provides more than one quarter of the nation's plasma products. Red Cross Plasma Services seeks to provide the American people with safe, reliable, cost-effective plasma products.

Investing in the Future
Because the Red Cross never stops inventing new ways to care, the organization is looking far into the 21st century at the future of blood services.

In February 1999, the Red Cross completed its "Transformation," a $287 million program that:

• re-engineered Red Cross Blood Services' processing, testing and distribution system;
• established a new management structure; and
• positioned the Red Cross as a cutting-edge organization prepared to enter the 21st century.

As a result, Red Cross Biomedical Services now has:

• a single, standardized computer system that efficiently maintains our blood donor database;
• a network of eight, state-of-the-art National Testing Laboratories (NTLs) that test about 6 million units of blood collected by the Red Cross's 36 blood regions;
• the Charles Drew Biomedical Institute, which allows for the Red Cross to provide training and other educational resources to Red Cross Blood Services' personnel;
• a highly qualified Quality Assurance/Regulatory Affairs Department, which helps to ensure compliance with FDA regulations in every Red Cross Blood Services region; and,
• a centrally managed blood inventory system to ensure the consistent availability of blood and blood components in every Red Cross Blood Services region throughout the country.

Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT)
On March 1, 1999, the American Red Cross became the first U.S. blood banking organization to implement a Nucleic Acid Testing study. This process is different from traditional testing because it looks for the genetic material of HIV and hepatitis C (HCV), rather than the body's response to the disease.

The FDA has not approved the test; however, the Red Cross is studying NAT under an Investigational New Drug (IND) application submitted to the FDA. The test shows promise to detect the genetic material of a transfusion-transmitted virus like HIV without waiting for the body to form antibodies- potentially offering an important time advantage over current techniques.

Leukoreduction
A person's own leukocytes (white blood cells) help fight off foreign substances such as bacteria, viruses and abnormal cells, to avoid sickness or disease. But when transfused to another person, these same leukocytes do not benefit the recipient. In fact, these foreign leukocytes in transfused red blood cells and platelets are often not well tolerated and have been associated with some types of transfusion complications.

The Red Cross is moving toward system-wide universal prestorage leukocyte reduction to improve patient care.

Research and Development
Our national research program makes significant contributions to biomedical science, blood safety, plasma-derived therapeutics and transfusion technology.

The Red Cross operates one of the world's premier blood research facilities, the Jerome H. Holland Laboratory, based in Rockville, Md., where Red Cross researchers are engaged in cutting-edge research to develop the next generation of blood products and services. Each year, the Red Cross invests more than $25 million in research activities at the Holland Laboratory and in the field. This commitment to research allows the Red Cross to oversee dozens of scientific research projects seeking to improve the safety, purity and efficacy of blood.

Cellular Therapies
One technique the Red Cross has identified that shows strong potential for treating people in new ways is through cellular therapies. This new method of treatment involves collecting and treating blood cells from a patient or other blood donor. The treated cells are then introduced into a patient to help revive normal cell function, replace cells that are lost as a result of disease, accidents or aging, or used to prevent illnesses from appearing.

Cellular therapy may prove to be particularly helpful for patients who are being treated for illnesses such as cancer, where the treated cells may help battle cancerous cells.